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TWC 2026 EU Series 1 Recap

Thunderpick World Championship 2026 EU Series 1 Recap

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At the Thunderpick World Championship (TWC) 2026 EU Series 1 event, we watched 24 teams compete their hearts out to claim the lion’s share of the $30,000 prize pool. Sparks flew on the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) servers with comebacks, an underdog rising through the ranks, and hundreds of heads getting clicked along the way.

Let’s take a look at what went down during the TWC 2026 EU Series 1, reliving the best moments and final results via our in-depth battle report.

GenOne Goes Flawless In Group A

French and Belgian outfit GenOne got off to a flying start in Group A of the TWC 2026 EU Series 1. In the opening match, they smashed MANA in a 2–0 clean sweep (13–7 on Dust2 and 13–7 on Ancient), with Jordan “Chucky” Molnar topping the scoreboard.

GenOne faced off against the promising all-Danish side Esport Academy Copenhagen (EAC) in the Winners Match. On EAC’s map pick of Overpass, GenOne took no prisoners, winning 13–7. 

GenOne closed out the series 2–0 with a dominating 13–5 on Nuke to secure a spot in the Playoffs with a flawless record.

Omega Climbs To The Top Of Group B

With new IGL Sanjar “def1zer” Talgat at the helm of Omega, the Kazakhstani squad had their sights on the Playoffs Stage. In the opening match against ASTRAL, Omega had a fantastic showing, sweeping their opponents 2–0. 

They had a convincing 13–5 win on Dust2 and, on ASTRAL’s map pick of Ancient, survived overtime for a 16–13 victory.

The Group B Winners Match between Omega and ALGO had us enthralled. The first two maps both required overtime. Omega secured Mirage (16–12), while ALGO won on Nuke (19–17). On the decider, Ancient, it was Omega who dug deep to secure a 13–6 win, closing out the series 2–1. 

IGL def1zer led by example with a 1.23 rating, while ALGO’s Hubert “szejn” Światły topped the scoreboard with a 1.25 rating, despite losing the match.

2007 Reigns Supreme in Group C

Previously known as FORZE Reload, the all-Russian stack of 2007 (aka “Just Players”) put up an excellent performance in Group C of the TWC 2026 EU Series 1.

The opening Group C match between 2007 and Lazer Cats was a banger. Lazer Cats won Ancient 13–7. With their backs against the wall, 2007 dug deep to turn things around.

2007 won Dust2 in overtime (16–12) and completed their comeback on Mirage with a solid 13–8 victory.

In the Group C Winners Match, 2007 clashed with ex-Zero Tenacity. On their map pick, Anubis, 2007 narrowly claimed the win with a final score of 16–14, as overtime was required to separate the sides. 

ex-Zero Tenacity came out swinging on Nuke, crushing 2007 with a 13–2 win to force a third and deciding map.

2007 managed to stabilize on Mirage, winning 13–4 after a very strong 9–3 CT side, closing out the series 2–1 to secure the top spot in Group C.

HYPERSPIRIT Dominates Group D

The all-Romanian side of HYPERSPIRIT turned heads in Group D, kicking off their TWC 2026 EU Series 1 journey with a 2–1 win over Bebop. 

HYPERSPIRIT won Ancient 13–3, and Bebop retaliated with a 13–11 win on Inferno. On the deciding map, Mirage, it was HYPERSPIRIT who stood tall, winning 13–8 and taking the series 2–1.

In the Group D Winners Match, HYPERSPIRIT took care of business against VRSDelivery. HYPERSPIRIT won their map pick, Dust2, with a strong 13–8 showing, and finished off proceedings on Anubis with a 13–10, closing out the series 2–0 to top Group D and qualify for the Playoffs Stage.

VRSDelivery went on to defeat Bebop in a convincing 2–0 sweep to earn a spot in the Playoffs Stage of TWC 2026 EU Series 1.

VRSDelivery Delivers In The Playoffs

After surviving Group D in second place, VRSDelivery was ready for the Playoffs Stage.

In the Round of 16, VRSDelivery shut down the hopes of the all-Swedish side, and one of the TWC 2026 EU Series 1 favorites, Johnny Speeds, coached by the legendary King of Banana, Adam “friberg” Friberg

VRSDelivery came out swinging on Mirage for a 13–5 win. Johnny Speeds pushed back with a 13–5 win on Inferno to tie up the series. On Dust2, VRSDelivery proved unstoppable, winning 13–4, closing out the series 2–1.

In the Quarterfinals, VRSDelivery faced off against CYBERSHOKE. VRSDelivery’s map pick of Mirage was a close one, but the all-Polish side managed to close it out 13–10. CYBERSHOKE responded with a 13–10 win on Dust2 to tie the series.

The deciding map, Overpass, saw both sides fight tooth and nail for survival, with VRSDelivery’s rifler, Kamil “suonko” Węgrzynkiewicz, coming alive. Overtime was required to separate the sides, with VRSDelivery prevailing with a 16–13 win, qualifying for the Semifinals.

With a spot in the TWC 2026 EU Series 1 Grand Final on the line, VRSDelivery faced fellow Polish side KOLESIE. 

The Polish derby was a one-sided affair, with VRSDelivery eliminating KOLESIE 2–0 (13–11 on Anubis and 13–5 on Overpass) to earn a spot in the Grand Final.

Favorites TDK Barrel Through The Playoffs

TDK boasts legendary players like Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov and IGL Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov, and they sliced through TNC in the Round of 16 with a clean 2–0 win (13–6 on Dust2 and 13–7 on Ancient).

TDK’s opponents in the Quarterfinals, Omega, forfeited due to a scheduling conflict. Tthe Russian side sailed straight into the Semifinals, where they faced an invigorated OG lineup.

On TDK’s map pick of Dust2, they earned a strong 13–7 win. OG pushed back on Inferno with a 13–8 win to tie up the series. One of our favorite highlights from the series saw Kirill “Xant3r” Kononov pull off a beautiful triple kill on Inferno’s iconic Banana area.

OG ran out of steam on Overpass, as TDK came out on top 13–7, qualifying for the Grand Final of TWC 2026 EU Series 1. 

A Nail-Biting Grand Final: VRSDelivery vs. TDK

The best-of-three TWC 2026 EU Series 1 Grand Final saw VRSDelivery and TDK clash on the server. It was a battle between the underdogs and the favorites that went the distance. Before the start of the tournament, VRSDelivery was ranked #147 and TDK #57 on the VRS Global leaderboard (May 19 update).

VRSDelivery kicked off the Grand Final with a solid 13–8 win on their map pick of Mirage after posting an insurmountable 9–3 lead in the first half of play on the T side. 

With their backs against the wall, TDK clawed back on their map pick. Dust2 was an incredibly close affair, with overtime required as TDK walked away with a 16–13 win. During Dust2, VRSDelivery pulled off some fantastic plays. For example, in the 7th round, they managed to foil TDK’s plans with nothing but a hero AK-47 against all rifles.

On the third map, Anubis, the sides were neck-and-neck, keeping us on the edge of our seats. TDK had a slight lead (7–5) in the first round of play. However, VRSDelivery showed their big-match composure, coming back in the second half to win the map 13–11, avoiding overtime and winning the series 2–1 to become the TWC 2026 EU Series 1 champions.

Missed the Grand Final of the TWC 2026 EU Series 1? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! To watch all the broadcasted matches at your leisure, simply navigate to our YouTube channel to watch and enjoy.

VRSDelivery Roster & Grand Final MVP

On May 30, during the TWC 2026 EU Series 1, the Polish organization changed its name from VRSDelivery to DragonClaw. To avoid confusion, we’ve used the VRSDelivery name throughout the recap up to this point

DragonClaw roster:

  • Kamil “suonko” Węgrzynkiewicz
  • Dominik “fanatyk” Barkiet
  • Miłosz “AntyVirus” Konieczka
  • Piotr “PeTeRoOo” Barcik
  • Bartosz “Brylu” Bryl

Kamil “suonko” Węgrzynkiewicz was named the MVP of the Grand Final thanks to his incredible performance, which pushed his squad across the line. Boasting a KDA of 56–52–15, an ADR of 80.2, and a 1.18 rating, he played a pivotal role in VRSDelivery’s success.

TWC 2026 EU Series 1 Final Standings

Teams competed for their share of the $30,000 prize pool. Here are the final standings and prize pool distribution at the EU Series 1:

PlacementTeamsPrize Money
1stDragonClaw (previously VRSDelivery)$12,500
2ndTDK$7,500
3rd–4thOG & KOLESIE$3,000 each
5th–8thALGO Esports, 2007, CYBERSHOKE & OMEGA$1,000 each
9th–16thTNC, EAC, Betclic, Acend, ex-RUBY, GenOne, Johnny Speeds & HYPERSPIRIT
17th–20thHashiras, ASTRAL, ex-Zero Tenacity & Bebop
21st–23rdMANA eSports, Lazer Cats & Rune Eaters Esports 

Megoshort was disqualified as they were unable to field an eligible roster in Group B versus ALGO.

Even More TWC 2026 Action On The Horizon

With the TWC 2026 NA Series and EU Series 1 now behind us, we can’t wait to watch the upcoming events unfold. Next up is the South America Series 1, running from June 24 to 28, so mark those calendars! Stay tuned right here for the latest live streams and event info as we get closer.

Visit our World Championship page to keep up with all the action. You can also put your CS2 esports knowledge to the test by checking out all the latest CS2 betting odds and placing wagers using your favorite cryptocurrencies. 

All the upcoming TWC 2026 matches are broadcast live on twitch.tv/thunderpicktv and youtube.com/@Thunderpickesports. The tournament is presented by Hotspawn, with GRID Esports as the data partner. Always practice Responsible Gambling and check out our latest promo offers and boosts. T&Cs apply. 18+ to play.

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